CMU’s Music Preparatory School teams with artist Joe Wos for collaborative spring concert
Classes from CMU’s Music Preparatory School have collaborated with local maze cartoonist Joe Wos to create original compositions inspired by Wos’s artwork from his upcoming book, A-Maze-Ing Animals: 50 Mazes for Kids.
The classes, called Creative Expression, create a framework for talented young classical musicians to create original, collaborative compositions. The classes were started as a way for students to express themselves beyond traditional recital repertoire.
“These classes allow students to have share their unique voices through music. They also learn teamwork by working together to create compositions with their peers,” says Creative Expression founding teacher Jennie Dorris.
Students chose four different mazes from Wos’s upcoming book. Their compositions bring the vibrant illustrations to life through stories — the animals often go on a journey, illustrated through the music, which mimics the feeling of the journey of going through a maze.
Joe Wos is a nationally syndicated cartoonist. His feature, MazeToons is distributed worldwide by Creators Syndicate. His book, A-Maze-Ing Animals:50 Mazes for Kids is published by Barron’s Books. It features 50 intricately drawn mazes with over 200 different animals represented in the illustrations.
Jennie Dorris is a local percussionist and writer who is passionate about bringing her art forms together to tell unique stories. She is the founder of Telling Stories, a podcast which brings Pittsburgh’s stories to life through storytelling and music.
